Being Particular Is Hot with Alison Leiby - CHIT CHAT WEDNESDAY

Summary

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The JTrain Podcast: “Being Particular Is Hot” with Alison Leiby

Chit Chat Wednesday – November 12, 2025
Host: Jared Freid
Guest: Alison Leiby

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Episode Overview

On this Chit Chat Wednesday edition of The JTrain Podcast, host Jared Freid welcomes comedian, writer, and “culture expert” Alison Leiby for a breezy, playful conversation. Together, they explore food obsessions, the art of being “particular” (and why it’s actually attractive), office and social culture, and the changing landscape of social media and internet culture. With digressions about nachos, baked potatoes, Vietnamese pho, and why having opinions makes you sexy, this episode serves up the kind of fun, relatable banter that scratches that “I-just-want-to-hang-out” itch.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Darkness of Early Winter and Work-From-Home Culture

[00:01–03:01]

• Alison remarks how early sunsets now feel more oppressive, especially since working from home:

  “I'm just at home watching the sun slowly go down, like, and then I'm like, oh, I'm not gonna leave my house now. It's 4:30.” ([01:39])

• Both discuss how, in office days, darkness didn’t affect them as much—they were out already, now they watch the daylight disappear from home.

2. Comedy Consulting for ‘Normal’ People

[03:11–04:41]

• The pair joke about starting a service where comedians coach average people on office interactions—supplying zingers or conversation starters, but nothing “roast”-level.
• Alison admits she’d need to know all the office “dirt”… and maybe peek in everyone’s homes out of curiosity.

3. Food Obsessions: Baked Potatoes, Nachos, the Art of Toppings

[05:45–11:01]

• Alison’s favorite food season: “It’s baked potato season, baby. Like, I love a baked potato.” ([05:58])
• Jared laments that the real baked potato cost is in the toppings and clean-up.
• Alison describes her nacho process: “I wanna put stuff in little bowls and then be in charge of garnishing this thing in the way that I would like.” ([07:05])
• They discuss the steak-in-nachos dilemma—small dice is essential or else it’s “a tough bite.” ([08:12])
• Philosophy of “bowl culture”: they debate the trend where every meal is served in a single, pre-mixed bowl—Alison calls it “a baby’s meal.” ([10:42])

4. The Nacho Deep Dive: Building the Ultimate Nacho Salad

[12:32–20:32]

• Detailed walk-through of Alison’s group nacho night:
  • Layered chips, cheese, beans cooked in steak juice, toppings on the side.
  • Alison invents the “nacho salad”:

    “We were making bowls basically, where we, like lined the bottom with nachos and then like, put all the toppings and the slaw on top and we're eating it like we called it nacho salad.” ([19:19])

• Her key trick: acidic cabbage slaw for freshness; “I don't want a creamy slaw. I need an acidic slaw. No, every time.” ([18:46])
• Jared observes:

  “Nachos... straddles the line between appetizer and main. It's neither.” ([19:54])

5. Food as Identity and Volume Eating

[21:19–23:08]

• Jared confesses he’s a “volume eater”: wants to eat a lot but not feel like one.
• The psychology of eating—planning the next serving while still eating.
• Ozempic (“food thoughts” suppressant) comes up:

  “If you're thinking of what you're going to eat while you're eating something, you probably need [it].” ([22:26])

6. Cabbage and the Redemption of “Low-Status” Foods

[23:28–25:34]

• Alison and Jared reminisce about negative branding of cabbage—now it’s cool, thanks to the internet:

  “If you think of like, what did the Internet improve? ... It really took a lot of foods out of retirement.” ([24:40])

• TikTok has made vegetable cookery cool again; Alison notes the rise of simple veggie inspiration.

7. Social Media, The Algorithm, and How We Relate to Content

[26:21–31:03]

• Both bemoan “fetishization” and disconnected responses online:
  • Alison: “So much of what's on the Internet is a fetish that I don't understand.” ([25:46])
  • Jared: “[It] feels to get the response anymore. Like there's a lot of response that is like I'm being talked about while I'm in the room.” ([29:12])
• Discussion of how social media aggregates everything, versus the “golden age” of discrete websites.
• Alison: “Now you just go to like three places and it’s everything … There’s no perspective, there’s no taste.” ([27:45])
• Value of offline friends for a fresher perspective:

  “There should be single person 100. Like, there’s kids venues, but there’s no single person.” ([16:59])

8. Performing Live and Favorite Snack Bars in NYC

[34:51–38:13]

• Alison plugs her beloved pre-show bar, Blueprint, and its offerings (burrata “bruschetta” and roasted purple potatoes with creme fraiche dip).
• Her show at Union Hall: “Frankenstein’s Baby,” with a rotating host panel on Monday nights; atmosphere described as “a hang.”
• Jared notes:

  “That's like the perfect bar... that's a night planned, done.” ([37:54])

9. The Sexiness of Being Particular

[39:29–41:55]

• Jared shares his dad’s “put it under the broiler” dining philosophy—as a hand-me-down ‘taste’ that equates to sexiness:

  “You are now a more sexual being. You are now in the game of hottest person.” ([40:14])

• Alison agrees, being clear in your likes and dislikes is confidence:

  “Yeah, because you just, like, know what you like, and that hopefully extends to other corners of your life … And if I meet someone or I’m with somebody who has the same kind of approach … that’s … interesting.” ([40:21])

• Jared’s thesis: “Particular gets a bad rap. I think particular is, like, interesting.” ([41:04])
• They clarify the line: being particular ≠ being a nuisance.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On working from home and winter darkness:
  “We've become human sundials.” – Jared ([02:14])
• On food prep as an expression of personality:
  “I want it crispy, crispy, crispy on the outside. So I’m leaving that thing in there for like 90 minutes at 400.” – Alison ([07:04])
• On bowl culture:
  “That’s a baby’s meal. That’s what a baby eats.” – Alison ([10:42])
• On self-aware food choices:
  “Nachos...straddles the line between appetizer and main. It's neither.” – Jared ([19:54])
• On the internet redeeming foods:
  “If you think of like, what did the Internet improve?...it really took a lot of foods out of retirement.” – Jared ([24:40])
• On being particular as attractive:
  “You are now in the game of hottest person.” – Jared ([40:15])
  “I know when I sit at the bar, I know what I like to order... And if I meet someone...who has the same kind of approach, I hate when people are like, 'I don't know, what are you gonna get?'” – Alison ([40:21])

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Key Timestamps

• 00:01–03:01: Early darkness and living through windows
• 05:45–11:01: Baked potato and nachos discussions
• 12:32–20:32: The anatomy of nacho night and nacho salad
• 21:19–23:08: Volume eating and the psychology behind it
• 23:28–25:34: Cabbage renaissance and how the internet changed food trends
• 26:21–31:03: Social media’s flattening of experience, “untapped” friends
• 34:51–38:13: Union Hall, the Blueprint bar, and cultivating “the hang”
• 39:29–41:55: Why being particular is actually hot

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Conclusion

This Chit Chat Wednesday episode exemplifies the JTrain Podcast’s blend of humor, food nerdery, self-aware commentary on social and internet trends, and a hint of modern dating wisdom. Alison and Jared make a strong case that being particular—knowing what you like and having taste—isn’t just okay, it’s attractive and fun. Plus, you’ll walk away craving nachos, some acidic slaw, and maybe a group hang at Union Hall.

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Transcript

[A]

Chit Chat Wednesday for you to listen to. I have a guess who will be your new boo. You're gonna love them, too. Chit Chat Wednesday. I hope you're having a good day today. I hope it's gonna be a perfect week, too. I hope you have a nice poo. It's a Ch Chat Wednesday, too. Hello, and welcome to the J Train Podcast. Is J Train Jared Free coming to you live from Los Angeles, California? That's right, every Wednesday is a Chit Chat Wednesday where I sit down with a comedian, a friend, an expert. Today I have all three. I have comedian, friend, expert in all things, I would say, food, entertaining, culture. I would put us as culture experts. You, I think we are a good observers of what's right and wrong in this society. Allison Livey, thank you for coming back on the J Train podcast, an OKP original key player. How are you? Great to see you.

[B]

Good to see you. Sorry, it's very dark here because the sun is down, because it's four after four. So.

[A]

So how do we fix this? How do we fix this? Let's talk about this. This time of year comes every year. I don't know why it feels like it's gotten darker or are we just getting older and we're seeing the end of days?

[B]

You know, here's a piece of it that, like, I think maybe you and I have that other people might or I think a lot of people maybe, like, in the pandemic change of what work is like. When I worked every day in an office, like, it didn't really phase me what time the sun went down. I just knew there was, like, a day where I would le when it was light, and then there would be a day where for a while, I leave when it's dark, but I'm just at home watching the sun slowly go down, like, and then I'm like, oh, I'm not gonna leave my house now. It's 4:30. But I had no issue when I was already out.

[A]

We've become human sundials.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

We are just watching the progression of the day outside our own windows. Yeah, that's a good point.

[B]

In an office, I was doing stuff. I wasn't near a window from a lot of those jobs. So. So, like, there it was. It was also, like, it didn't change, like, what time I was leaving work. And I was like, well, I'm already out of the house, so, like, going out.

[A]

Do we need more to do?

[B]

I do.

[A]

You do. Okay. So if anyone's looking to hire Allison for Anything, just I have no skill. Moving around a little bit more.

[B]

I'd love to get out of the house.

[A]

She can write some great, you know, jokes for you if you're looking to be like funny. Maybe that's a job we should start.

[B]

Pitching writing for money, you know? Yeah. I used to do it.

[A]

Help you with human interactions for people.

[B]

Oh, sure. Like.

[A]

Well, yeah, I'm saying like now that the, the world has gone online, like people have their own.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Interpersonal videos to do. They have their own production things to do.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, I feel we could be consultants. Comedy consultants for life. That's something I think I would get.

[A]

Someone the week at the office.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. I. I don't know. I. I think I'd make it fun. Like if someone came to you and was like, here are like three people at the office that I really want to wow with a couple of fun light zingers. But not, not roast jokes. I'm not talking about Rose. I'm talking.

[B]

I don't like something self deprecating or something kind of about the office culture or something that's just like, I'm funny.

[A]

Right. I just a little. We could like. It does sound like a business that I would be like, it is not that bad of idea like where I'm like a personality coach. If I had someone come to me and was like, here's kind of what I do and here's. And I was like, I can give you 10 lines to use in your life and throughout the day. Right.

[B]

Here are the things I would need in order to do that one. I need to know everything that's happening in your office with all of the people. I need to know all of the dirt. And then I need to see inside of your home. Those are the two things I'm gonna need. Those are my favorite things.

[A]

What would you need from their home?

[B]

Nothing. I just wanna see inside everybody's house. I just wanna know like what I could get a perspective on. Like, what's going on with you. Just let me see your house. I just want. I just wanna see inside of every single person's house. Not from a judgment standpoint, but just out of pure curiosity.

[A]

Well, that's a lie. Well, it's always a judgment.

[B]

Sure. But not like.

[A]

Because judgments.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Not harsh judgments are like sneezes. Can we like, don't you think a judgment, like you just have them. Like it's not.

[B]

But like I don't like not to be mean and be like, look at this shithole this person lives in. But Just to be like, okay, so you're going couch on the left side of the room. Like, that's crazy. I couldn't imagine, like, just like, stuff like that. Like, I want to see every of my apartment in my building and be like, what did you put in here?

[A]

Right, right, right. How did you use the space? But that is a judge.

[B]

That's a judge.

[A]

I think it's not to say I. Judge isn't to say I'm going to be mean with this ammo.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, if I collected bullets, it wouldn't be like, I'm firing the bullets. I just have them on the shell. I don't know why the ammo thing made sense to. To me.

[B]

Yeah. But I. We could do this. We can make this a job.

[A]

I think. So what are you doing lately? What are you eating lately? Anything specific that you've eaten?

[B]

I mean, it is.

[A]

What. What. What have you eaten lately? Is a great opening question.

[B]

Again, all I want to know about what people are doing. What are you eating? What have you been wearing? It is that we are in my favorite season for food. Cause we could do soup. And also, it's baked potato season, baby. Like, I love a baked potato.

[A]

Are you kidding me? I didn't think we were gonna be talking baked potatoes.

[B]

I mean, it's still a little early in the year for baked potatoes. Cause you have to leave your oven on for so long. But, like, doing a lot of soups and I did nachos the other night that I could talk about these nachos.

[A]

How do you prepare a baked potato? Like, what do you. Are you. I mean, are you making it? Are you going baked potato?

[B]

Baked potato is a crazy thing to go out for. It's so cheap to do it at home.

[A]

Well, if you've had a good one, like, I, you know, it's all the.

[B]

It's.

[A]

It's all the stuff on the side that you would order the baked potato for that they do better than I would. I don't want to have to. The. The real cost of a baked potato is the topic is bacon bits and getting the toppings and putting them out and cleaning up the dishes. There's a lot that goes into a bacon.

[B]

I like that stuff. So I personally am like, I wanna put stuff in little bowls and then be in charge of garnishing this thing in the way that I would like. So. Yeah, but like, I want it crispy, crispy, crispy on the outside. So, like, I'm leaving that thing in there for like 90 minutes at 400 like, it heats up the apartment in a significant way. So we're not there yet, but I did make some great nachos.

[A]

That's a talk about the nachos.

[B]

Let me hear.

[A]

What did you do?

[B]

I did them with friend of the pod. Friend of ours, Natasha and Lisa. They came over, and we made. Natasha cooked up a steak. And so we had really good steak chopped up, and then we like to do layer of chips. And then we cooked some black beans down in the pan that the steak was in. So it had, like, the seasonings.

[A]

This is all great. But here's my. Here's my pushback, and I think my issue was steak in Mexican items. Nachos in a burrito. I had a steak burrito the other night. Tough bite.

[B]

We chopped it very small, so. But I do find it's usually too big.

[A]

Right. And if we're talking about it, we're two fine people, but we're not geniuses. How are they not. Is there something that the steak loses with a fine chop? Is it that it loses juices?

[B]

Probably.

[A]

Why are we doing this tar?

[B]

It probably is a mix of losing juices and also just more time consuming for a place that's trying to get food out quickly.

[A]

Right. I mean, I had a steak burrito the other night, and I. It came dry, which I appreciate. So it was like, let me make it wet rice.

[B]

Let me make it wet. Let me control the wetness.

[A]

Right. Well, that was the option they go. They had a. It was a. You can either get it grilled or you can get it wet on the plate. And the. And the guy said, the wet is a fork and knife number.

[B]

That's not what I want, which I like.

[A]

When someone describes something as fork and knife. I. I like that I knew what I was getting.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

But I did like the dry burrito that I then guac salsa and sour cream was on the side, like a paint palette. Plus it had a bowl of hot green, like, salsa, you know, hot green stuff. And I was, like, I was very happy to be able to, like, you know, go through the paint.

[B]

Yes. And manage. Like, sometimes you want a bite where you're, like, loaded up with the hot green, but sometimes you're like, let's just put a little regular salsa and some sour cream on this for, like, a different kind of bite. Like, I want that kind of control all the way through. It's why I hate bowl culture.

[A]

But that's the pro. Well, bowl culture's gone. Don't you think this is.

[B]

I don't know. I'm like, I've not been a part of it. So I just like the few times I have a bowl, I'm like, this is annoying and I don't like this bowl.

[A]

People love a bowl. I do like a bowl. Sometimes I crave the texture of a bowl. Like just, I want rice and other things on a fork.

[B]

Right. But every, every meal can't be like, like every bite's the same mix of thing. Like sometimes you want different stuff.

[A]

Your mood. Yeah. With the bowl stuff, it does feel like you're just getting your portion. Like it feels very like post apocalyptic. Here's your bowl.

[B]

It's how a baby.

[A]

Here's your troughs. Yeah.

[B]

It's like when somebody was like, here's my meal. I have ground beef and cottage cheese and avocado. And I'm like, that's a baby's meal. That's what a baby eats. They're like, it's like, here's a little plate with a couple of soft things on it. Just finish it.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Like, grow up, Grow up.

[A]

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[B]

Yeah, for sure.

[A]

It's like, the first thing fiber. Like, I'm like, this is coming out like a froyo machine. Like there's no other way to think of this.

[B]

That's what it feels like. So, okay, so the nachos. So we. We cooked down a steak, and then we. Natasha chopped it up very thin, small. But then we cooked some black beans in the steak pan. So it had, like, the seasoning and, like, the juices of the steak. And then we did layer of chips, layer of cheese, sprinkle the beans, layer of chips, layer of cheese, sprinkles more beans, a little bit more cheese, and baked it so that. That was just like, the base. Not cooking the steak a second time. If.

[A]

Well, if anyone's doing a nacho that's not baked.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

They've really kind of screwed up the whole thing.

[B]

I am controversially not, like, the biggest queso, like, drippy cheese person. Like, I would rather a pulley cheese. Yes. And, like, I'm with you with the.

[A]

Queso option on the side.

[B]

Yes, yes, yes. But, like, I don't love when it's just like, a mountain of chips and then a big, like, dump of wet cheese on it. I'm like, this could be. We're losing what.

[A]

We're losing what cheese are.

[B]

Which are, for me, the best part of nachos.

[A]

Right, Right. When that happens at a restaurant, I'm like, I've made the wrong choice in restaurant. This is a lazy man's place.

[B]

The one place I like it is the Commodore in Williamsburg. They do. They do a queso cheese nacho, and it is very good, but it's not overly wet.

[A]

Commodore in Brooklyn, right? Well, the Commodore in Brooklyn. I don't know what they've done to. I don't know who's in charge of that place or what they're doing. All their food is just really done so well that you're like, I. And it does. It's. It's kind of like that unhealthy version. I love when a place is unhealthy, but doesn't make you feel unhealthy.

[B]

Yes. Yeah, yeah. You're not, like, looking at a plate.

[A]

They have a fried chicken sandwich.

[B]

One of the best. One of the best fried chicken sandwiches. And it is big, but it's not like a drippy main. Like, it's still like. Like, I'll eat that whole sandwich. And it's large, and I'm like, I'm full, but I'm not like, I have to go lay down.

[A]

I had last night. I'M here in la. Whenever I'm on the west coast, it's always going to be Asian first. That is like, I started Asian, and I move my way out. And I went to a Vietnamese place and I forgot that pho. Like, that's a nap. I think it's an underrated nap. If you're gonna have the big soup at a Vietnamese soup, you gotta, like, work in the nap. Like that. You're going to bed right after. You're not gonna walk around. You're like a. You're like a grocery bag full of water after that.

[B]

Yes. I. There's a Vietnamese place near me that's so good. And they used to. And it's not on the menu anymore. You could get a cup of pho, and it was like a third of the size of a giant bowl of pho. It was like an appetizer. And I was like. I would get, like, some spring rolls and that, and I was like, dream meal.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. And it's like one of those things. I mean, the place I went to last night was like this Vietnamese family. Like, they were a machine.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, you know, son at the door, you know, husband, wife taking the order, child, you know, the. The daughter taking your food away. The. The. The dad behind the register. Like, this place was operating, like, at a. Like a locomotive. And I, for. It would be a version of a hate crime for you and I to go up to this place and be.

[B]

Like, I have a cup. I got an idea for you.

[A]

Like it?

[B]

No.

[A]

Like, hey, guys.

[B]

No.

[A]

We've been thinking. How about you? But it is a good idea.

[B]

Yeah, right? You would just have to, like, have in place. And, like, obviously they don't do it anymore in a way that I'm like, oh, that clearly was like, not a functional way for you guys to be serving that dish. Cause now you can just get the big bowl. But it was like a perfect. I'd, like, stop in at the bar and get, like, a fancy gin and tonic and the cup of pho and some spring rolls and be, like, on my way to, like, my next stop.

[A]

Oh, my God. Maybe that's our. Our next job. You know, we. Yeah, I brought you on to pitch new jobs.

[B]

Well, it just a job.

[A]

Well, we. I'm saying we could be. You know. What does Allison and Jared do now? Well, they advise people on how to be human at the office, and then they go to restaurants and they decide on how you would snackify a menu. But I've always been saying this. I've said this For a minute is that there should be single person 100. Like, there's kids venues, but there's no single person.

[B]

It's true. It's true. I would. So back to the nachos. Just because I would like to get to this big thing that we discovered that we invented on Sunday. So then, so then like, on top of that, then, like, we put the steak. So, like, the nachos base are just like cheese, beans, chips. Cheese, beans, chips. Like, but then we put the steak and like avocado on top. And then we had bowls of cilantro, of scallions, of jalapeno. I had like a salsa fresca, like a pico de gallo sour cream. Also cotija cojita cheese. Cotija cohita. I always forget queso fresco cohita is how I feel. I always, like, look at it. And I'm like, I know what that is. And then I'm say it backwards.

[A]

Right? It's the crumbly Mexican cheese. It's like Mexican feta.

[B]

Yes. Yeah. A little bit drier. So we had like double cheese going on and then the big. And then like some hot sauce. But then the big thing I had done, I had made a huge cabbage lime slaw. So, like really, really thin sliced cabbage, really thin sliced red onion, and like a whole head of chopped cilantro. And then just like, it's dressed in just like salt and pepper and a ton of lime and just like a tiny dash of sherry vinegar. And so it's just this, like, very acidic slaw. And so we were like, basically, I.

[A]

Love an acidic slaw.

[B]

I don't want a creamy slaw. I need an acidic slaw. No, Every time.

[A]

Nothing grosses me out. I do like a creamy slaw, but I don't want to look at the remnants of a creamy slaw.

[B]

I don't. I don't care.

[A]

It's off putting. But acidic slaw, I'm like, I'm in the veggie game. I'm in the healthy game still. I haven't left healthy Village. It tastes good. I'm still on the path to greatness. It still good. It could have a nut in there.

[B]

And get a little more crash in there. Or like sunflower, like a pita. So we did. I didn't have any nuts in there. It was just like straight, like veg and acid. So we were making bowls basically, where we, like lined the bottom with nachos and then like, put all the toppings and the slaw on top and we're eating it like we called it nacho salad, and it was one of the best. I was like, oh, this is like, a version of nachos where, like, we ate so much of it. But I was like, I don't know. We also ate, like, most of a head of cabbage. Like, we were eating so much vegetables.

[A]

I think you've. You've brought up a good point, which is nachos. If we really think about nachos, it straddles the line between appetizer and Maine. It's neither.

[B]

It's.

[A]

It's neither. When you add the cabbage to it, you make it a main dish.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. It becomes, like, an action. Cause, like, I think the. So we were like, we really want to make steak nachos and take an edible and watch Practical Magic. That was the plan for the evening. And so then it was like, I don't know. It's a Sunday. And so. But it was just like. What was hard is, like, you know, I like to put out a variety of treats before we get to the main event. But what do you eat before you eat nachos? Like, if you want to have something Mexican, like, what is that? Like, it's a lot, like, not gonna make a quesadilla. That's insane. You're gonna eat, like, nine tortillas. But I was like, not gonna put out.

[A]

You gotta stay away from chips and cheese. But it has to be.

[B]

And we weren't gonna just, like, eat a salad course. And then so it's like the nachos being, like, very robust. No, stop it. Riz is here.

[A]

Allison dealing with her kids.

[B]

He's just, like, walking around behind me. Where is he? Hey, buddy. Like, get down there. He is a big boy.

[A]

There is.

[B]

All right. Nobody beats them. So it was like, oh, this felt like. And then we were kind of going back, and because you were eating, like, volume veg, you could keep going back and getting more chips. And it wasn't like, well, now we've eaten three bags of chips. Like, I was eating less chips, but still really eating a lot. It felt like.

[A]

A mistake. This is the thing. I want volume. I don't want to feel like I'm a volume eater. I want volume. These are two. These are two things I need in a meal. And as a volume eater. When you're a volume eater, you're thinking of your next move while eating something that's currently filling you up.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So that's a real issue for me, is that I'm generally at 40. I'm still making the mistake of eating Chips, then getting nachos and then going, oh, my God, I had three helpings of chips. I'm still doing that.

[B]

I know. And like, it was kind of nice that we, like, didn't. We had like a couple of chips. Like, I had that, like the salsa and the chips. And we each like had like two or three chips while we were preparing. But like, we all knew, like, don't eat chips right now. Don't do that. But then I was like sitting at one point, like, with my bowl, eating, still had food in the bowl, and I was like, I can't wait to fill this bowl up with more stuff again in a few minutes. And it's like you're currently eating and the bowl has stuff in it. Like you're not done.

[A]

I mean, that's the marketing for Ozempic. That is what Ozempic they say. Like, when. When people get like into the extremes on Ozempic, it gets like a little frustrating. You're like, I'm sure there's like a scientist out there being like, no, no, no. This was like, to totally help, like, Ozempic is to help, like, like the food thoughts like, this is gonna make this go away. Like us, like we should be. And it's like gone off the rails of like, it's only for certain people. And it's like, no, no. If you're thinking of what you're going to eat while you're eating something you probably need.

[B]

And here I am just being like, I'll eat more cabbage.

[A]

Right? Well, cabbage, like Brussels sprouts, another food that really has had a pretty good, like, for me in my life. Way better than what I was taught. Oh, I thought the cabbage growing up was like, gross.

[B]

I also didn't encounter a lot of raw cabbage that wasn't in a mayo based thing. Like, I feel like I saw what my impression of cabbage was was either that it was like cooked and that looked gross and that felt like that's what Irish people do, you know, that's not what Jews are up to. Even though I love a cabbage roll and then. Or it was a coleslaw type thing that was also really unappealing to me and not something that my mother and I really ate. I think my dad likes a coleslaw, but it wasn't really part of our diet. So I thought that's what cabbage was. And then I got older and was like, oh, you can make an acidic slaw. Like, oh, you could char it and put it in like a miso parmesan broth. That's delicious. Like, there's so many good ways to eat it that I don't. I guess we didn't know about it.

[A]

Is one of those things that like cabbage was like, known to me as like the same as you. Like creamy slaw or like cooked down horrific cooked like smelly and then also used for weight Watchers soups, like. Oh, yeah, yeah.

[B]

It was like a diet food.

[A]

Right? And it's like, if you think of like, what did the Internet improve? You know, you think like, I think Internet like improved, like our discussion of foods that had a weird branding of negativity.

[B]

Yes, yes.

[A]

Like, it really took a lot of foods out of retirement.

[B]

Yeah. And like, I will say, like, obviously, like whatever your algorithm and whatever Internet you see and whatever TikTok. Like, I'm thinking specifically of TikTok, but I'm like, for every like chef who's making a 12 layer fried chicken sandwich that they squeeze and it like comes cheese or like, whatever, there is like another person who's like, hey, did you know that you could cook cabbage really simply and it's delicious. And I'm like, I do think that it has, like, helped a lot of vegetables gain kind of popularity.

[A]

I do wish we could have an option on social media that's like, you know when you do like the not interested button and it was like, why aren't you interested in. And it's like, I'm interested. I'm not interested in cums. Cheese.

[B]

Yeah, like those like sandwiches, like, you know what I'm talking about. It's always like a guy wearing like, of course, black rubber gloves and he's like squeezing a cross section of a sandwich. And it's like there's 12 sauces on it. And you're like, who's eating that? Where and how? Like, what's happening? This is. I mean, obviously I under, Like, I've learned that like so much of what's on the Internet is a fetish that I don't understand. Like, there's all those videos where you're like, what is this? And somebody's like, it's a fetish video. And you're like, oh, okay, great, that makes more sense than it being on its face, what it claims to be. Right.

[A]

It's like nails touching a package of like Swedish fish. And you're like, wait, there's a whole world of Swedish fish nail touching, like, and they're like, yeah, there's like this group and it's like, I don't know if we maybe we didn't need to know these things. You know, like the per. What was like peak Internet? Like, if you think of like what peak Internet was, websites.

[B]

Having websites, going.

[A]

To websites, going somewhere, purpose and like.

[B]

Taste and you've lost purpose. Well, now I read this interesting thing that was like the Internet used to be you would go to a lot of different places to find things and there would be a little bit of stuff on each one of them. And now you just go to like three, three places and it's everything meaning like social media or even an rss. I don't know if RSS feeds are still a thing, but TikTok, Blue Sky, Facebook, all of those. It used to be that I went to a news site and I read the news and then I went to a shopping site and I browsed clothes and then I went to some other blog and I read that. But now it just lives in one vertical and it's like you're not. There's no like point of view. There's no perspective, there's no taste. It's everything at once.

[A]

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[B]

Yeah, yeah. Like.

[A]

Like the algorithm didn't bring you here. I made a thing that the algorithm helped get you to, but also a person made.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Like when they say, like when someone comments for the algorithm to bring you back here, it's like, so you enjoyed something someone made and you have no interest in the person who made it, Right?

[B]

Yeah, I guess I don't know how people use the Internet.

[A]

I understand that, but I don't.

[B]

Right. I'm baffled by the way people do things. And, like, then I'm like, am I doing. Am I using the Internet in a really weird way? But then it's like, if you're somebody who, like, makes things, you are always gonna use it in a really different way because your experience with it has both sides in a way that, like, I think about, like, my friends who don't do entertainment and aren't, like, influence don't do anything. And I'm just like, what do you. What do you do on your phone? Like, what do you do on it? How does it work?

[A]

How are you?

[B]

How do you use this thing?

[A]

Well, you know, my good friend, the. You know, my good friend the baby. The Baby and Mrs. Baby. The. Our. Our J Train podcast movie reviewer and his wife, who I'm close with. And, you know, well, they're not on anything.

[B]

Sounds so great.

[A]

And yeah, there's. Well, there's conversations we have where I'm, like, telling them about something going on, and they're like, I am so happy. I don't know this is going on. Like, they are so excited by it. But also it's almost like, that's a good service. Like, they should offer their services to people to be like. Like, when I tell them something or when they tell me. So, like, when I tell them about something going on or I send them something, I'm like, looking for a fresh perspective.

[B]

Right. Right. Somebody who hasn't been like. Like an untapped of one side of an argument.

[A]

I sent the baby an article that we talked about on you up, but it was this Vogue article called Is having a Boyfriend Embarrassing? And so this article's been out there. It's from British Vogue, and it's called is having a Boyfriend Embarrassing? And it was this one woman's op ed on, like, hey, I now realize, like, I'm in a relationship, but I. I don't want to become a part of the relationship. You know, trophy raising that comes with it on social media. And, like, I thought that was an interesting perspective. But then it goes into the end of the article was like, like it was like about jealousy and like, you know, what do you post and performative. And I kind of get, I get that, right? Performative. And then, but then at the end it was like all about how this person was like, didn't want to like knew how hard dating was and how hard, how bad men have made it for women in dating and that's why they don't want to post their relationship. And it became like this, like I'm like, how did I get involved in this? How did I get hated?

[B]

Right, right, right. The culture is one.

[A]

But then I was like, right. And then I was like, I go to the baby because I'm like, I kind of did this. Like, I was like, can you tell me what you felt from this? Was I. Was I personally offended because I'm drifting towards incel activity. Like, am I getting mad as a man?

[B]

Right, right, right, right.

[A]

For the wrong reasons. Like I was like, I need you to like kind of like add some water here. Like I need you to like. And you know, he kind of had like a little bit like a different like a shift of perspective that I was like, okay, that's like a service. I think we need like, yeah, your non Internet friend being like, hey, everything you're doing, I think there's like a different angle.

[B]

Yeah, you're reading. You're bringing way too much to this. You need to just think about this on its own. Don't add it to all the other things online and all the other people's thoughts. Yeah, that'd be helpful, right? We can't have that job.

[A]

It would help. No, I'm out on that job.

[B]

I think I'd hire that.

[A]

He needs to offer it as a service.

[B]

Yeah, that'd be great. That'd be super helpful.

[A]

So what else are you gonna eat? Soon as we finish out this chit chat Wednesday. I just like talking to you about what you've eaten. I haven't seen you in a bit. I'm living the Florida life. I mean, I'm gonna come back to New York next week.

[B]

It's gonna meal.

[A]

We should definitely hang in. My travels. Does New York miss me? Have you heard things about.

[B]

Everybody's talking about it. They're like, where's Jared? Everybody on the subway is like, we haven't seen Freed in a while. I'm sure there are plenty of restaurants that are like, he'd like it here. I haven't been in a while, but I do wanna Stop. My favorite bar near Union hall, where I almost exclusively perform at this point, has my two favorite appetizer. It's like mostly snacks and little bites is what they say. It's not like a restaurant. It is a bar with very good food. And they have two things I love and I haven't had them in a minute. So I am looking for a reason before my next show to go there. One of them, they call it burrata bruschetta. It's not. It's French bread. Pizza, like, that's not bruschetta to me is cold. Burrata is very wet. This is not that. I don't know why they call it that. They do all. They make all their own bread. And the bread is like some of the. Like. I brought Natasha there and she was like, this bread is unbelievable. And I was like, okay, so it is good. It's not just me. She knows bread.

[A]

Natasha does know. Natasha's a well known baker and is an expert baker. Yes.

[B]

So they do like a.

[A]

Is it like French bread and then they like chop it in half and put a burrata on it?

[B]

No. So it's sliced like a thick piece of. Not even thick. Like a piece of toast. You would make toast, but like a. It's like a sourdough or like a large baguette type thing. Very chewy. They slice it like regular slices. They rub garlic on it. They put a little bit of like a tomato. Like maybe it goes on cold. I don't know. I don't see them make it. But like a little bit of like a tomato sauce and then a piece of burrata and then they put it under a broiler. It is. It is pizza. It's French bread pizza. But it's the best version of that I've ever. It's like the bread is thin. They rub. It's so garlicky. Like, it's just unbelievably. I think there's like a ton of garlic in whatever the tomato situation is. And they also, I know, rub the bread with garlic, which we've seen everybody do on TikTok and does something.

[A]

Right. You're doing a show. You do a show on a weekly basis at Union hall, right?

[B]

Yeah. Or every other. It's twice a month, which is annoying. It should be weekly. It's very popular. But yeah, every Mondays.

[A]

Yeah. Well, give the name. Cause this is a good.

[B]

Oh, yeah, what's that? It's on the first and third Monday. It's called Frankenstein's Baby. No, we don't know where that name came from, somebody said it in a group chat, and we were like, fine. But it is. We're rotating hosts. Me, Josh Gondelman, Joelle Nicole Johnson, Tyrone Thornhill, and then we have DJ Don Will on stage the whole time, keeping the vibes really good. It's just, like, always great. Always good lineups, always really fun vibes. We all hang out afterwards for a while. It's become a little bit of a hang, which is great. I'm always looking for a hang. Love that. And I get to go to Blueprint, the place where I get this appetizer before, if I plan my day correctly and have enough time. The other appetizer, they do.

[A]

No, this is.

[B]

If I can quickly plug it, please. It is roasted purple potatoes. Like, small purple potatoes that are halved or kind of sliced. And then they roast them so they're creamy and crispy and charred shishito peppers. And then with a shallot creme fraiche dip. So it's like potatoes and onion dip, but, like, in the best, most delicious way possible.

[A]

What are you dipping? Is it a chip dipping?

[B]

Like, pieces of potato and the shishito peppers, like, into.

[A]

In the dip?

[B]

Because the potatoes are, like, crispy from getting roasted. So, like, you. You don't. You use a fork? It's a fork, but not for the shishitos. Those. You can hold the handle.

[A]

So the place is called Blueprint. It's right near Union hall, where they can come to the show, Frankenstein's Baby, which. Everyone, go follow Allison on all the platforms and go to the show, because that's a night.

[B]

And they have the best cocktails.

[A]

Like, that's like.

[B]

It's just like, the perfect bar.

[A]

It's. It's so crazy, like, when you hear someone have a night that you're like, there's the night planned, done. It's yours. And you have so many people that are like, come to me. And they're like, well, I. What do I do? And I'm like, you're. You're doing.

[B]

This is it.

[A]

Like, this is where you.

[B]

This is it.

[A]

Put your phone in your pocket. Go do it. Go to the show. You'll get a laugh. You can dart your eyes around the room. Maybe you see someone, you're attracted.

[B]

There you go.

[A]

There's your night. There's a night, and it's on a Monday, which is, like, what a win.

[B]

Yeah. The bar, like, Union hall, is so chill. Like, the show is always, like, nice and packed, but, like, the bar upstairs is so chill afterwards, so people are just Kind of hanging in the couches and sitting around, and it's just a good vibe. And you could go to Blueprint before or after, because it's open pretty late.

[A]

So now I love. I mean, you know, you and I probably are big on the snack bar. Many different things. Little taste of everything, little bites.

[B]

I want nibbles. I want variety.

[A]

Right. And it's hard. I mean, I just love the idea. Well, the thing I was going to bring up before, you know, when you. My dad, I don't know if he knew this was like, you know, to pass down, like, you can't tell your children how to woo a woman. I think that's, like, the recipe for disaster. But you have to have opinions that now transfer over to your children that are really not. That are, like, only, like, lifestyle opinions.

[B]

Yeah. It's like, I see what you mean.

[A]

I think that's what makes someone sexy, is like, taste. Hey, like, I'm giving my. Right, like, taste. And I'm giving my dad credit. I don't think he meant for this, but his big thing was, can you put it under the broiler? Like, he would say that to every wait staff. Like, can you take the nachos to bring it back to the nachos? He's like, I want those nachos crispy. But when they're done, can you put them under the broiler after they're done? I. I've never had a broiler. I don't even know what that means. All I know it means is it takes whatever you're having, and it makes it a little crispier than you intended it to be. And I think when you get something put under the broiler in front of the opposite sex or you ask for that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You are now a more sexual being. You are now in the game of hottest person.

[B]

Yeah. Because you just, like, know what you like, and that hopefully extends to other corners of your life. But, like, yes, I like. I know when I sit down at the bar, I know what I like to order. I know what I like to drink. I know how I want it. And you're in or you're out. And that's. I think. And if I meet someone or I'm with somebody who has the same kind of approach, I hate when people are like, I don't know, what are you gonna get? You don't like anything on this menu. You don't have any preferences. Throw something out there that you're interested in.

[A]

You have no thoughts. You looked at this whole thing and you were like, no, I'm just like.

[B]

All of a beer. What kind of beer? What are you talking about?

[A]

Right?

[B]

We're both.

[A]

Well, if we're.

[B]

We're very particular people, you and I. Like, we both know, like, we're like, I like this kind of thing.

[A]

Right. Particular gets a bad rap. I think particular is, like, interesting.

[B]

I've tried lots of things. I found which one I like the most. I would like to have the thing I like the most when I can.

[A]

Well, particular is like a fine line between particular and a nuisance to society. Like, I won't sit unless I am seated at a booth that is cushioned. Is different than. I'd prefer the cushioned booth.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Than this chair. Right.

[B]

Or, like, if I'm at a party and I go up to a bar where they're just kind of, like, pouring stuff, I'm not gonna be like, can I get like, a 50. 50 gin martini? And, like, do you. What kind of gin do you. I'm just like, I see what's going on. I'm like. I'm like, if there's a white wine open, I'll have that. That's fine. Like, it's like, you. You can roll with things, but when you're given the chance to exercise your preferences, you have them.

[A]

Like most things in life, there's a thin line between perfection and annoying. Alison Libby, thank you for coming on. Always a pleasure. Always easy. This is it. This is do it all day. This is what we're here for. This is. Someone listened to this and they were like, it scratched an itch.

[B]

I hope so.

[A]

I can feel that. Yeah, that's the hope. With a podcast. Chit chat Wednesday, back next week. Boom.